Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres, Jan. 13

AP, file

Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres, Jan. 13 Johnny Podres, the left-hander who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their first World Series championship in 1955, died on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008, at a hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y., at age 75. "I had a lot of great pitchers with the Dodgers -- Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, and one of the best in the business, Sandy Koufax," former Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi recalled. "But when we needed to win a ballgame, who do you think we went to? Johnny Podres." That was the case when Podres was called to pitch Game 7 of the 1955 Series against the Yankees and threw an eight-hitter in a 2-0 Dodgers victory. He was named the first-ever World Series most valuable player. "Mr. Clutch, as he was nicknamed, retired in 1969 a three-time All-Star with a career record of 148-116 and an earned-run average of 3.68. He's shown here with catcher Roy Campanella, left, as they celebrate the Dodgers' 8-3 victory in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series.

Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres, Jan. 13 Johnny Podres, the left-hander who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their first World Series championship in 1955, died on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008, at a hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y., at age 75. "I had a lot of great pitchers with the Dodgers -- Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, and one of the best in the business, Sandy Koufax," former Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi recalled. "But when we needed to win a ballgame, who do you think we went to? Johnny Podres." That was the case when Podres was called to pitch Game 7 of the 1955 Series against the Yankees and threw an eight-hitter in a 2-0 Dodgers victory. He was named the first-ever World Series most valuable player. "Mr. Clutch, as he was nicknamed, retired in 1969 a three-time All-Star with a career record of 148-116 and an earned-run average of 3.68. He's shown here with catcher Roy Campanella, left, as they celebrate the Dodgers' 8-3 victory in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series. (AP, file)

Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres, Jan. 13 Johnny Podres, the left-hander who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their first World Series championship in 1955, died on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008, at a hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y., at age 75. "I had a lot of great pitchers with the Dodgers -- Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, and one of the best in the business, Sandy Koufax," former Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi recalled. "But when we needed to win a ballgame, who do you think we went to? Johnny Podres." That was the case when Podres was called to pitch Game 7 of the 1955 Series against the Yankees and threw an eight-hitter in a 2-0 Dodgers victory. He was named the first-ever World Series most valuable player. "Mr. Clutch, as he was nicknamed, retired in 1969 a three-time All-Star with a career record of 148-116 and an earned-run average of 3.68. He's shown here with catcher Roy Campanella, left, as they celebrate the Dodgers' 8-3 victory in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series.